Betfair Hollywood Park’s 24-day autumn meeting begins Thursday

Betfair Hollywood Park’s 24-day autumn meeting begins on Thursday. Racing will take place four days a week through Dec. 16, with a 12:30 p.m. post time, except for 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving.

There will be 12 graded stakes and 18 stakes overall with purses exceeding $3.8 million.

The fall meet’s featured event is the Grade I, $750,000 CashCall Futurity for 2-year-olds on Dec. 15. It has produced six Kentucky Derby champions since its first running in 1981.

Other Grade I events include the Matriarch and Hollywood Derby on Nov. 25 and the Hollywood Starlet on Dec. 8.

The big question hovering over Hollywood Park is whether this could be the last autumn meeting. There has been no commitment for racing in 2013 other than a spring-summer meeting in April. Commercial real estate developers are still eyeing the property, and Los Alamitos has been approached about expanding its racetrack and facilities.

—Eric Sondheimer